This invention relates to an improved kite reel assembly. More particularly, the invention relates to a power-driven reel assembly for use in flying a kite attached thereto by a string or cord which may be unwound manually and rewound at a high speed by power means.
As is well known, kites have been flown for a long time primarily as a hobby or a recreational pastime by children, teenagers and adults. Most kites now in use are typically operated manually in unwinding the string of the kite from the reel to let it fly at a high altitude and winding it up on the reel to its original position after the flying has been completed. As the kite retrieving operation by hand is time-consuming, attempts have been made in the prior art to speed it up by providing power-driven reels. However, such reels have not been proven entirely satisfactory due to their complicated mechanisms, short duration of power source and a low speed of rotation. In consequence, they have not been commercially successful. For example, the patent literature describing power-driven kite reels includes U.S. Pat. No. 3,593,940 describing a power-driven reel having a pair of opposite handles, one of which houses a battery, while the other houses a driving motor. U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,839 shows a kite string reel having a motor and a speed reduction gear, both mounted in a single handle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,320 discloses a kite reel operable either manually or power-driven using a conventional cordless screwdriver rotating at a low speed; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,237 describes a kite reel powered by a conventional electric screwdriver mounted on one side of the reel and a handle mounted on the opposite side thereof.
While the above-listed patents disclose a general concept of powered kite reel mechanisms having different structures, the reel assembly of the present invention provides a new approach to the structure and operation thereof which offers certain advantages over the prior art devices.